10 Top Concept Cars of Geneva Motor Show 2014

Compacts, coupes and sports cars crowd the list of potentials from Switzerland

Perhaps the biggest lament about reporting on a international auto show abroad is the disappointment of knowing most of these vehicles will never come to America especially some of the sports cars. So many cool bells and whistles, such a wide variety of platforms, and yet the most we can possibly hope for are watered down versions of all their good stuff. Not fair. Concept cars are a different story though and the Geneva Motor Show this year was packed full of them.

From the Alfa Romero 4C Spider concept car to the more wild Maserati Alfieri concept car the Geneva international auto show highlighted some very interesting vehicles that may never become production anywhere. This roundup represents the most striking concept cars from the 2014 edition of the Geneva Motor Show, of which there was an eclectic mix – enjoy!

By now you’ve surely browsed through Type R concept car photos and digested the details that may make it to the production variant. Flared fenders and widebody attributes will most likely be lost on the consumer version in place of a safer design but it is nice to see what could be.

Power expectations are in the 276hp range thanks to a VTECH turbo engine. It will also be exciting to see its track performance since the latest Type R was tested at Germany’s Nurburgring with component design based off the brands success in WTCC. For those who want the full story make sure to visit our Civic Type R Concept gallery.

The GT-class racer first made waves during its January intro at Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan. It caught a ride to Geneva where it grabbed further concept car praise.

The RC F GT3 is based on the production RC F performance coupe. Its V8 engine wields a claimed 540hp in a 2,755.8-pound package. Track testing of this concept car will occur this year and racing teams will be able to pick up a similar GT3-complaint racecar starting in 2015.

The rear-wheel drive G35/37 made a lasting impression in the tuner community but Infiniti has since struggled to create a new vehicle that makes such waves in the performance market. Enter the Q50 Eau Rouge. What was called a concept car at the Detroit Auto Show was revealed as a "to come" production beast at Geneva. Basically, this Q50 model will be a four-door performer powered by a GT-R motor. You heard that right!

The pumped up Q Series sedan (G Series replacement) is laden in carbon fiber and takes a note from the Red Bull Racing’s F1 RB9 racecar. It is said that it will be equipped with the GT-R's turbocharged 3.8L V6 so expect power in the 560hp range – that is enough to get our attention!

If the Alfa Romeo 4C is the brand's star rear-wheel drive sport car (coupe), the Spider is its topless offspring, trading the fixed lid for a canvas one. This concept car is also replete with carbon fiber touches, no doubt keeping weight down, which is preferred given its modest motivation, a 1.75L turbo inline-4. This design preview also flosses different headlights from the regular 4C and custom titanium/aluminum exhaust, and is apparently set for a production run beginning early 2015.

With a new TT on the horizon, Audi went ahead and teased out another alternative future for the two-door sports car platform, one that flosses a 2.0L turbo mill capable of 420hp and 331 lb-ft of torque (whoa, that’s 210hp per liter of displacement!) Single-lug dubs sit at all four corners, rolling stock that necessitated some flaring of the fenders, while vents and CFRP aero add to the TT Quattro Sport’s raciness.

To commemorate 100 years of making sports cars, Maserati brought the 1954 A6 GCS-53-inspired Alfieri concept car to the Geneva auto show party, which may or may not be the successor to the GranTurismo (seems that jury is still out). The sexy-as-sin coupe rocks a 460hp 4.7L N/A V8 under hood and performance bits like a six-speed sequential gearbox and carbon-ceramic rotors with Brembo calipers. Also outfitted with bi-xenon/LED headlamps, 21-inch wheels, and an interior rocking TFT displays and copper-tone billet aluminum trim, the Alfieri is sleek and stripped down, just like we like it. Undoubtedly, one of the most popular concept cars at the international auto show.

Here is the gist of the Clubman Concept, heir apparent to the current Clubman: it’s bigger. Just like every other model in the Mini stable, the Clubman has grown, no doubt to accommodate the ever-increasing waistlines and asses of its consumers. For the concept car, that means another 4.4 inches in length and 2 inches in width, plus a sixth door.

This year’s show has been a good one for hot hatches, the Astra Extreme a prime example; the GM compact concept car just oozes performance thanks in part to the copious use of carbon-fiber components – the aero, roof, hood, engine cover and suspension bracing, even the wheels, are all weave. The spare cabin – sporting just roll cage, Recaros and six-point harnesses – and power plant, which is a little vague at this juncture (Vauxhall/Opel saying only it will be a 2.0L turbo four with direct injection and variable cam timing,) could add up to a fun ride in the making.

Skoda is a brand we weren’t super familiar with (they rally those, right?) but after catching sight of this Kermit the Frog-mimicking VisionC we were compelled to dig a bit deeper. The concept car rides on the same underpinnings as the VW Golf and Audi A3 but sets its own futuristic agenda with lots of cutting lines and sharp angles. The VisionC’s mill looks to be pretty advanced as well, capable of burning either gasoline or compressed natural gas.

Finally, a Volvo that doesn’t induce a concept car yawn; in fact, as far as wagons go this one is pretty killer, sporting some super clean lines design-wise and futuristic qualities like the T-shaped headlights and floating grille. Inside we are wowed by the profuse utilization of white leather and touchscreen-laden infotainment setup. Add two more doors and a power plant (which was not indicated at the show) and Volvo has itself a winner. And so that rounds up our Top 10 list of concept cars seen at this year's Geneva Motor Show.